New Album By Taylor Hicks Drops Feb. 10, 2009

Welp, here we go gang! Put on your seatbelts because we're gearing up for the next chapter in the wild ride that is Taylor Hicks! He's off to start pre-production on his new CD in Nice, France, where his producer, Simon Climie, lives. Thursday morning, he gave an interview with Alec Harvey where he was giddy with excitement over his yet unnamed album on A2M Records . New information includes the showcasing of his first single from the album in every show he performs in on the Grease tour. That tour will last from December '08 to early June of '09! Details on the how and where he inserts his song into the show is still unclear, but I suspect it will be an add-on after the Grease performance is finished. Boy, leave it to Taylor to come up with such an innovative and unique marketing tool and intertwining both his role in Grease as Teen Angel and publicizing the CD to a new audience. How does he come up with this stuff? All I know is that you cannot knock him off his feet and he is made from some pretty tough cloth. He knows what he wants and goes out and *GETS* it, despite obstacles and the road blocks that no doubt always come up. I really admire that determination. From now on, I will never second guess his choices regarding his career. He's got it absolutely under control. Next time you have a doubt, direct all questions and concerns to the wholey owned company called Mr. Taylor Hicks, Inc.!

The article reads...

"Taylor Hicks is rarely at a loss for words.

But he's had to contain himself this year, hearing and reading that his 800,000-unit-selling self-titled CD was a one-shot deal. That he wouldn't sign another record deal. That the 2006 "American Idol" was through.

"It's about driven me crazy to hold my tongue," Hicks says. "I've wanted to talk about this for three months, but I've been patient and trying to be smart about choosing my battles."

The battle, it seems, is over.

Hicks, who turned 32 on Tuesday, announced on his birthday that he had signed a deal to release his new CD in February 2009. It'll be on his own Modern Whomp Records label through Artist to Market (A2M), which gives the Birmingham native control over his recording destiny.

"I was offered a plethora of record deals, some traditional record deals and some non-traditional record deals," Hicks says. "It's been very hard not to just hop on the first one that was offered, but during that time when there was a lot more speculation that I might never sign one again, it couldn't have been further from the truth."

He calls the A2M deal "very cutting edge."

"In today's marketplace, having the control as the artist is key," Hicks says. "I'm in control of where I spend my marketing dollars, who I want to record with, and in control of the companies I hire out. It allows me a really focused release. Basically, I am my own record label."

What that means for the upcoming CD is that the bulk of it will be written or co-written by Hicks, who cut his musical teeth in bars in and around Birmingham.

"I've always been a singer-songwriter, and that's going to be able to surface a lot more than it did on the last record," he says. "On the last one, things had to move at such a quick pace that the actual art of songwriting couldn't really be seen on the last record."

Hicks is in pre-production of the CD now, working with producer Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill) in the studio.

"I don't have a title for it, yet," Hicks says. "I'm kind of waiting for it to hit me."

Announcement of the new record deal comes just after Hicks' stint in the Broadway production of "Grease" comes to an end, and just before he hits the road as that show's Teen Angel for the national tour beginning Dec. 1.

"It was such a success and such a great way for me to learn a new craft," Hicks says of his Broadway debut. "I feel like if I'm going to have longevity in the entertainment industry, I've got to cover all aspects. I have to reinvent myself."
The national tour of "Grease" will offer a unique hybrid for Hicks, he says.

"We're going to cross-promote this record with the 'Grease' tour," he says. "I'll be allowed to perform my single in the show on tour."

Most importantly, it offers fans a chance to experience Hicks live, which he says is crucial to his success.

"There's such a live aspect to me," he says. "You put me on the radio, and you can't see me, you can't feel me, you can't touch me, so it's easy to count me out in that regard. On the road, that's where you really make your mark and have your longevity."

So don't count Hicks out just yet. He's only getting started, he says, and he doesn't pay attention to the naysayers.

"I hear those things, but I'm not into the talk, I'm into the walk," he says. "